Federal Reserve: Without tariffs, inflation would have dropped to pre-pandemic levels during 2025
New study finds that tariffs were responsible for the "entirety of the excess inflation in the core goods category."
reason.com
I find it interesting that a Reason article is used to show the inflationary result of tariffs (taxes). Not because the article is wrong; it is obviously correct. One need not have even a concept of basic economics to realize this. One just needs to have literacy in rudimentary math.
No, the interesting part is that a libertarian point of view is used to bash Trump’s policies by the same people who not that long ago claimed libertarians generally and Reason specifically were right wing Trumpers. Of all the ridiculous chanting on this board, that is near the top.
It is also interesting that, while tariffs raise prices, the Left supports all manner of other policies that raise prices. Pre-Trump they were for high tariffs and other trade barriers. They are for higher income taxes. They are for higher gasoline taxes. They promote artificially higher minimum wage and artificially inflated compensation promoted by unions. When I worked for a national homebuilder, I talked about how various regulations increased the price of homes by 20% or more. The additional cost to homebuyers was denied or the policies were defended by the Left. And so on and so on.
So, does the Left really all of a sudden understand that government policy increases prices, distorts markets, and cause all other manner of expensive unintended consequences? Or is it the typical TDS? Hopefully it is the former, but it is likely the latter. Because, since past is often prologue, when control of the White House and Congress is turned over from the red-clad clowns to the blue-clad clowns, basic economic concepts will be forgotten again. And a flood of left-promoted expensive policies will be implemented. And the excuses will be endless that the increased costs aren’t really increased costs. And if they are, it is a rich guy’s fault. Because the philosophical core of leftist politics is Marxist envy.
